Welsh Winter Prep Course Notes

Who is the course suitable for?

Winter in the mountains is more physical and involves more kit. This weekend in December is designed to help you kick start your winter fitness, get you familiar (or re-familiar) with your kit and help get over the first day faff before the main season arrives. It is designed for anyone who wants to enjoy winter – be that walking, mountaineering or climbing and is an ideal way to start your prep for the forthcoming winter season. It is designed for all levels of experience.

What does the winter skills weekend course cover?

We will spend two days out in the mountains of Snowdonia covering ground with our winter packs on and wearing winter boots. This is a great way to kick start your winter hill fitness before the main season arrives. We will also fit crampons to boots, chat all things axes and goggles, refresh some movement skills and maximise whatever conditions we are given on the day. It is not unusual to get a first dusting of snow at this time of year and we will make the most of this if it arrives but the course will go ahead without snow and in any weather.

What about accommodation?

We do not include accommodation with this course. For a variety of different accommodation options in Snowdonia, from camping to nice hotels, visit this link. The link also shows road and rail travel options to Snowdonia.

Previous Experience & Fitness

This is open to anyone who wants to prepare for winter – it is suitable for all levels of experience.

Whats Included?

The course fee includes instruction and use of specialist equipment such as helmets, axe and crampons.

Kit List:

Please treat this kit list as a part of your course. I have prepared it and modified it over many years and there is nothing on here that you can make do without. If we are very lucky and have perfect weather there are things that you might not end up using but more likely you will be very glad to have them! There will probably be things on here that seem odd but bear with me – all will become clear on your course!

The extremes of winter conditions in the mountains should not be under estimated. Everything on the kit list will be required so please read it carefully and bring it all with you to save time shopping on the first day! Shell garments in particular need to be of high quality, as do boots, gloves and other warm clothing. 

Waterproof Jacket – full weight breathable model preferred.

Overtrousers – with 3/4 or full length side zips.

Rucsac 30-40l capacity – A range of dry bags to keep your kit dry are essential. 

Socks 2 pairs. 

Gaiters made from breathable material. (Goretex ideal)

Wicking thermal top not cotton please!
Merino wool is very good as it does not smell or itch.

2 Warm fleeces or equivalent.
I use Patagonia R2 fleece as it is a fibre pile fleece which gives great warmth for weight. I prefer a warm fleece to a windproof one for Scotland.

Thermal leggings or warm mountain trousers.

Thin Inner Glove

Warm Ski/MountainType Gloves – 3 pairs

Hat or Balaclava must fit under a helmet.

Spare Mittens especially if you suffer from cold hands.

Spare Fleece

Blizzard Survival Jacket (Emergency kit)

Water Container approx 1l, or .75l flask.

Headtorch + batteries

Personal medications + blister kit

Ski Goggles + sun glasses

Winter Boots. They need to be crampon compatible and rated either B1 or B2 for winter walking. You can also use B3 boots if you intend having one set of boots for walking and climbing. In Scotland I love my Scarpa Mont Blancs (B3) but these can be too rigid for some people, especially if you are not used to stiff boots. Scarpa Mantas are a good B2 boot for most winter walking and will also serve well if you want to venture into mountaineering.

#Climbing Helmet
#Crampons with antiball plates 

#Ice Axe

# We can lend you these free of charge but you are welcome to bring your own. 

Buying Axe & Crampons

If you are going to buy your own axe and crampons in advance of the course then have a read of this article first: Choosing Axe & Crampons

KIT VIDEO

In this video I go through the kit that is on the kit list, why we have it, how we use it, what to wear and when. It is 30 minutes long but consider it the first half an hour of your course:

Recommended Reading

The instructors tips pages on our website have articles that I have written on how to choose an ice axe and crampons and how to fit your crampons to your boots. I also recommend the book Winter Skills by Andy Cunnigham and Allen Fyffe, published by Mountain Leader Training UK.

Insurance: We do not include insurance within our course fees. For all overseas trips you will require an E111 and specialist mountaineering insurance and we will require a copy of the policy. We also recommend insurance for our UK courses. Our approved insurance contractors are:
BMC: 0870 0104878 or The Foundry: 0114 2755806

BMC Article on Risk & Safety in climbing & mountaineering.

The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) is the representative body in the UK for hill walkers, climbers and mountaineers. It has produced a Participation Statement for anyone involved in walking, climbing or mountaineering to say that:

The BMC recognises that climbing and mountaineering are activities with a danger of personal injury or death. Participants in these activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions.

If you join one of our courses you acknowledge and accept these risks and so we thought a few facts and figures might be useful in explaining what you are accepting.

Injuries

Injuries are possible in climbing, hill walking and mountaineering, as in all sporting activities, as a result of over-training, inappropriate training regimes, or poor technique as well as those that might be sustained during a slip or fall, or if something or someone falls on a person.

Risk

Risks need to be put in context. There are currently about 5 million climbing wall user visits annually and it has bee estimated that between the 1960s and 2005 there were approximately 50 million climbing wall user visits in the UK alone. During that period there was only one fatality at a wall in England and Wales. There are 13 million young people in this country. Of the approximately 700 fatal accidents that occur every year, there is approximately one child death per year in organised adventurous activities in comparison with 457 land transportation accidents (National Statistics).

Risk is an integral part of the activity and can play a vital role in helping young people to acquire these extremely important life skills. Minimising the risk boils down to having the right level of skill and experience relative to the difficulty of the activity. Our courses will help you

to understand and assess these risks for yourself. Accidents can happen due to circumstances over which the climber has no control, such as a rockfall, and in these events first aid training can make all the difference.

Accident rates

Because experienced climbers strive very hard to know their own limitations, the sport enjoys remarkably low accident rates. Incidents that make news headlines often involve individuals operating in environments for which they were ill-prepared, and this can give a somewhat skewed impression of the dangers involved in the sport. Many of the ‘climbers’ reported in the media as having been involved in accidents, died or got lost in mountainous areas are not dedicated climbers. Often they are tourists who have gone out walking or people who don’t have much experience in the mountains. Therefore some of the tragedies that hit the headlines may reflect poorly on dedicated mountaineers who are more likely to be better prepared and not as likely to require mountain rescue.

Even on a course there is a need for personal responsibility and self reliance in all mountaineering activities. We will have contingency plans in the event of an emergency and are first aid trained but you should also carry basic first aid equipment as detailed in your course notes. All of our courses aim to teach you to assess the risks for yourself, to make you an independent climber/mountaineer or hillwalker but there are some risks that we cannot completely remove.

If you feel uncomfortable at any time you should say so and don’t be afraid to ask why we are doing what we are doing. There is no pressure whatsoever for you to take part in any activity that you do not want to take part in.

The BMC has produced an introductory booklet for parents of young people who participate in climbing-related activities.